Pakistan and Türkiye Pledge Stronger Partnership in Social Safety and Family Welfare
Islamabad: 14 July 2026 : Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Syed Imran Ahmad Shah, held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ms. Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Minister of Family and Social Services of the Republic of Türkiye, on the sidelines of the 9th Ministerial Conference on the Role of Women in the Development of OIC Member States, being held in Islamabad.
Welcoming the Turkish Minister, Federal Minister Syed Imran Ahmad Shah expressed his appreciation for her visit to Pakistan and reaffirmed the deep-rooted and historic brotherly ties between Pakistan and Türkiye. He said that the two countries have always stood by each other and continue to enjoy a relationship founded on mutual trust, shared values, and close cooperation.
During the meeting, the Federal Minister briefed the Turkish delegation on Pakistan’s social protection architecture and highlighted the role of the Ministry’s flagship institutions, including the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM), Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Trust for Voluntary Organizations (TVO), in expanding social safety nets, supporting vulnerable communities and promoting inclusive development.
The Minister appreciated Türkiye’s integrated and digitally enabled social protection system and acknowledged the valuable experience of the Ministry of Family and Social Services in delivering comprehensive family welfare and social assistance programmes. He noted that Pakistan is keen to benefit from Türkiye’s best practices in digital service delivery, family-centred social protection, disability inclusion and institutional coordination.
Highlighting the existing collaboration between Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Federal Minister appreciated the successful implementation of initiatives such as the Ramazan Food Programme and the Centralized Kitchen Project. He expressed the desire to further strengthen institutional collaboration through joint initiatives, technical exchanges and capacity-building programmes in the fields of social welfare and poverty alleviation.
H.E. Ms. Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş appreciated Pakistan’s social protection initiatives, particularly the internationally recognised Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), and commended its contribution towards supporting vulnerable households and promoting women’s financial inclusion.
Both Ministers agreed to initiate a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety of Pakistan and the Ministry of Family and Social Services of the Republic of Türkiye to facilitate the exchange of best practices, strengthen institutional cooperation and enhance collaboration in the fields of social safety, social protection and community development.
The meeting was attended by H.E. İrfan Neziroğlu, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Pakista n, along with senior officials from both sides.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Federal Minister Syed Imran Ahmad Shah presented a Pakistani headscarf to H.E. Ms. Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş as a souvenir. In return, the Turkish Minister presented a commemorative souvenir to the Federal Minister as a symbol of the enduring friendship between Pakista n and Türkiye.